December 2012

Majority religion, by country (source: Pew Forum)

The Christmas Conundrum

December 31, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

I was 11 years old, standing on stage with my classmates during our school’s annual Christmas concert in which we were singing the Christmas carol “O Come All Ye Faithful“. During our performance, I decided to make a small modification to the lyrics: Oh, come, let us adore Him, oh, come, let us adore Him, Oh come, let us adore Him, Christ your Lord. As soon as I uttered my modification of the last line (replacing “the” with “your”), I […]

Categories: Reflections • Tags: Akim Reinhardt, Bandi Chhorh Divas, Christmas, Christmas and holiday season, Diwali, Faheem Younus

An outdoor mural in Sacramento, California featuring representations of various faiths.

The growth of America’s religious diversity showed in 2012

December 28, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

On the First Amendment Center, Charles C. Haynes discusses the emergence of religious diversity in America during 2012: The growing visibility and strength of America’s religious diversity is good news for religious freedom. The First Amendment affords legal protections, but it cannot fully prevent people in the majority from imposing social discrimination and political exclusion on those in the minority. As James Madison argued at our nation’s founding, religious freedom is best secured in a society of many faiths and […]

Categories: Civil Rights • Tags: First Amendment Center, First Amendment to the United States Constitution, freedom of religion, James Madison

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Lt. Brian Murphy (source: Greg Miller | Esquire Magazine)

Lt. Brian Murphy recounts Oak Creek attack

December 27, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In an interview with Esquire Magazine, Oak Creek Police Lieutenant Brian Murphy describes his confrontation with the shooter during the attack at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in August, one that almost took his life: I’d gotten a chance to look him in the eye. There was nothing. Pure nothing. Not hate. Not anger. Not emotion. Now I think, How did he get to that point? He made himself to be someone who thought life didn’t mean anything. I mean, […]

Categories: Hate Crimes • Tags: hate crimes, Lt. Brian Murphy, Oak Creek, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Wisconsin

Police action during the shooting attack on the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in August 2012. (source: Daily Record and Sunday Mail)

White Supremacy: The Unspoken Truth

December 27, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Co-blogged with Nina Chanpreet Kaur “All the talking is done and now it’s time to walk the walk / Revolution’s in the air 9mm in my hand / You can run but you can’t hide from this master plan.” (Song lyrics by Wade Michael Page’s band End Apathy) A few weeks ago, the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) closed its investigation into the mass shooting that occurred at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in August, in which six Sikhs were […]

Categories: Civil Rights, Hate Crimes • Tags: FBI, FBI Hate Crime Statistics, Federal Bureau of Investigation, hate crimes, Oak Creek, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, United States Department of Justice, Wade Michael Page, White supremacy, Wisconsin

The mother of Guru Gobind Singh, Mata Gujri, imprisoned in an open tower with his two younger sons, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh (source: Sikh Gurus and Sikh Gurdwaras)

Remembering the martyrdom of Mata Gujri, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh

December 26, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Today, Sikhs commemorate the martyrdom of the mother of Guru Gobind Singh, Mata Gujri, and his two younger sons, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh (age 9) and Sahibzada Fateh Singh (age 6). The three were kidnapped when the Sikhs were fell upon by Mughal forces in a surprise attack in 1705. With the aim of wounding the growing Sikh movement, the governor of Sirhind, Wazir Khan, attempted to coerce and then force the Guru’s children to convert to Islam or face death. […]

Categories: Events, Sikhism • Tags: Fatehgarh Sahib, Guru Gobind Singh, martyrdom, Mata Gujri, Sahibzada Fateh Singh, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh, Wazir Khan

People gather outside the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin for the raising of the Nishan Sahib flag a week after the mass murder that occurred there. A group of about 50 men and boys unwrapped the orange cloth covering the pole, washed the pole with water and milk and then re-wrapped it with a fresh cloth. (source: USA Today)

Victimhood in the context of chardi kala

December 26, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In the shadow of the mass murder of Sikhs in Oak Creek, Wisconsin, Simran Jeet Singh discusses the growing narrative of Sikhs as victims in American society in the context of Sikh history and tradition: A few of the prominent themes have included buzzwords such as “unprecedented,” “victimization,” and “suffering” endured by Sikhs in America. Although these buzzwords rightfully point to the challenges faced by Sikh Americans, they fail to aptly capture the spirit and attitude with which Sikhs have […]

Categories: Hate Crimes, Reflections, Sikhism • Tags: chardi kala, hate crimes, Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Oak Creek, Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, Simran Jeet Singh, Wisconsin

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Sarbpreet Singh (Matt Kalinowski | Boston Globe)

MA Sikh Sarbpreet Singh recognized in “2012 Bostonians of the Year” list

December 23, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

In its 2012 list of “Bostonians of the Year”, the Boston Globe gave an honorable mention to Sarbpreet Singh, a local Sikh leader in from Milford, Massachusetts, particularly for his work after the shooting that occurred in the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin, in Oak Creek, Wisconsin: …through his writings, his promotion of traditional Sikh music, and his interfaith nonprofit work on behalf of refugees, Singh has helped weave Sikhism into the fabric of religious life in Boston. “I continue to […]

Categories: Profiles • Tags: Boston, Boston Globe, Bostonians of the Year, Massachusetts, Sarbpreet Singh

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Asian Americans (source: New York Times)

The problem with “Asian American”

December 21, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

A recent article in The Economist discusses the complexities of the “Asian American” classification as a demographic category (via @sepiamutiny): But is the term “Asian-American” anything more than a convenient shorthand? The ancestral lands of the people it covers are home to most of the world’s population. Unlike the vast bulk of Latinos, Asian-Americans speak different languages and worship different deities from one another. Almost two-thirds of Latinos are of Mexican ancestry. But the biggest Asian subgroup, Chinese-Americans, make up […]

Categories: Reflections • Tags: Asian American

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Decade of Disappearances Art Contest first place winner by Priya Handa (source: Ensaaf Facebook page)

Picture of the Day: Winning artwork from Ensaaf’s “Decade of Disappearances” contest

December 21, 2012 by Rupinder Mohan Singh

Ensaaf, a human rights organization focusing on state crimes that were perpetrated in Punjab and India, has announced the winning entries into their “Decade of Disappearances” Art Contest. The evocative artwork above, by artist Priya Handa, was selected as the winning piece: This painting represents the disappearances and the injustice Sikhs have had to suffer. In this painting nothing is still or concrete. Everything is either moving or blurred, just like history and time. I use an infusion of my […]

Categories: 1984, Art, Civil Rights, Events • Tags: Decade of Disappearances, Ensaaf, Priya Handa

Considering the experience of Sikhs in America.

Monthly Archives: December 2012

The Christmas Conundrum

The growth of America’s religious diversity showed in 2012

Lt. Brian Murphy recounts Oak Creek attack

White Supremacy: The Unspoken Truth

Remembering the martyrdom of Mata Gujri, Sahibzada Zorawar Singh and Sahibzada Fateh Singh

Victimhood in the context of chardi kala

MA Sikh Sarbpreet Singh recognized in “2012 Bostonians of the Year” list

The problem with “Asian American”

Picture of the Day: Winning artwork from Ensaaf’s “Decade of Disappearances” contest